AACCUP consultation-workshop for level IV accreditation held

To ascertain that VSU will qualify for Level IV Accreditation by the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, Inc. (AACCUP), a Consultation-Workshop for Level IV Accreditation (Phase I) of VSU's Agriculture and Education Programs was held on April 19-20, 2012 at the VSU Accreditation Center.

The University invited Dr. Manuel T. Corpus, Executive Director of AACCUP, and Dr. Nilo E. Colinares, AACCUP Consultant, to examine the documents prepared by the three program coordinators and their respective faculty and staff and give their feedbacks as to readiness of the programs for the accreditation.

Dr. Oscar B. Posas, VP for Instruction who welcomed the guests, pointed out that VSU has made a history when the University was accorded by AACCUP as the first-ever institution in the country to be given an institutional accreditation. "Now we want to embark again on another history making endeavor in making our Agriculture Cluster Program to be the first Level IV accredited in the Philippines," Dr. Posas averred. He added that the University must push through its plan for the said accreditation this coming August 2012 without rescheduling again since the AACCUP is very busy attending to the needs of other SUCs of the country who also want their programs to be accredited.

On the other hand, Dr. Lualhati M. Noriel, head of the University Accreditation Center, presented the Task Force Committee for the Agriculture, the Education, and the Graduate programs. The Program Coordinators are: Agriculture – Dr.Victor B. Asio, dean of the College of Agriculture and Food Science; Education – Dr. Dolores L. Alcober, dean of the College of Education; and Graduate – Agriculture and Education Cluster – Dr. Beatriz S. Belonias, dean of the Graduate School.

The different programs will be evaluated based on the following areas: Area I (Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives); Area II (Faculty); Area III (Curriculum and Instruction); Area IV (Support to Students); Area V (Research); Area VI (Extension and Community Involvement); Area VII (Library); Area VIII (Physical Plant and Facilities); Area IX (Laboratories); and Area X (Administration).

In his message, Dr. Corpus revealed that VSU is probably the most popular state university in the Commission on Higher Education because of its institutional accreditation status. He further said that five SUCs attempted for Level IV accreditation. So far, there is only one that qualified for Level IV accreditation in education and none yet for agriculture. "If you make it, you will be the first one to get Level IV for Agriculture and the first SUC that has both institutional and Level IV accreditations which would be a record." Dr. Corpus said.

Moreover, Dr. Colinares mentioned that to qualify for Level IV Accreditation, an institution must have complied with the recommendations identified by the accreditors during the Level III (Phase 1) survey; the latest Self-Survey Report must be in conformity with Level IV rating which is 4.5; and must submit an updated program based on the latest PPP format.

Dr. Colinares also emphasized that the award for Level IV is given after the survey by 4 to 6 accreditors who are highly selected. He also reminded the concerned VSU personnel that to qualify for the Level IV Accreditation, each program must have a grand mean of 4.5 or higher. He advised them to prepare the materials to the maximum to reach 4.5.

He also enumerated the conditions to reach Level IV accreditation, such as: demonstrate excellent outcomes in research, teaching and learning, community service, international linkages, and well-developed planning.

VSU President, Dr. Jose L. Bacusmo, expressed his deepest appreciation to Dr. Corpus and Dr. Colinares for going through the documents prepared by the faculty and staff of VSU and objectively giving their feedbacks to improve the materials in preparation for the accreditation this coming August 2012. Dr. Bacusmo also said that although the University has improved a lot, there is still a need to look at the details to know about each area of accreditation.

The VSU President also announced that because of the impressive performance of the University as observed by the Commission on Higher Education, VSU's MOOE has increased from P20-million last year to P55.5-million this year on top of another possibility of getting capital outlay. Dr. Bacusmo appealed to the VSU faculty and staff to help meet the expectations of the accreditors.

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